The policy shift came out of an extraordinary wave of migrants coming to the U.S. As many as 5,000 Haitians were intercepted at the border within the last year

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People stand in a street flooded by a nearby river overflowing from the heavy rains caused by Hurricane Matthew, in Leogane, Haiti, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. A new policy in the U.S. leaves many Haitian migrants facing deportation back to their country.

A sudden recent shift in American deportation policy may have dire implications for thousands of Haitians, and cause a bleak homecoming for many in the wake of destruction brought by Hurricane Matthew, NBC News reported.

The hurricane was billed as the most powerful storm to touch the Atlantic in nearly a decade as it made landfall in Haiti early Tuesday morning. At least 19 people were confirmed dead by the time the storm passed over the island of Hispaniola.

And thousands more Haitians who are currently in America may soon face fallout from the disaster, all for a new change in United States immigration policies that critics warn is ill-fated and poorly timed.